Flight Of Fancy

Posted on Tue Mar 2nd, 2021 @ 11:20pm by Lieutenant Commander Evelyn Rozia & Lieutenant Commander William Rogers

Mission: Pathstone to History
Location: Flight Simulators

One moment the screen was blank, the next moment the stylized envelope appeared on it, in the form of an old Federation fighter craft swooping around with Buck's name written on the top of it, as if challenging him to catch it to read the message.

"The hell is this?" Buck muttered to himself as he watched the fighter manoeuvre about the screen. He reached out to open the icon only to have it aileron roll out of reach. Buck chuckled slightly and reached out again only to be eluded. His eyes narrowed. "So it's like that, huh?"

A few more unsuccessful attempts followed before he was able to trap the craft in a two handed pincer. "Got you, you son of a bitch."

As soon as he touched the fighter image, it finally stopped in midturn and unfolded into a message. 'Buck, you are cordially invited to take part in a challenge; a one on one fighter challenge in the flight simulators. You said I wasn't allowed to take a joyride in your shuttles, so here's an opportunity to have some fun in mine! But the window is short, let me know! -Evie.' As soon as the message opened, a ten minute timer began to count down in the corner of the screen.

Buck smirked. His reply was both quick in coming and to the point. "You're on."

When Buck got down to the flight simulators, Evelyn was already there in a flightsuit, one of the older styles that were still used up until the later 23rd Century when inertial compensators still weren't up to damping the entirety of proper maneuvers. It was rather form-fitting, but had several of a pilot's best friends: Pockets. She held a helmet under her arm as she grinned at him, green eyes bright, "Glad to see ya'! I think this is going to be fun!"

The flight suit drew a raised eyebrow. Buck didn't remember them ever being quite so....tight. "So is that for show?" He asked and gestured towards the helmet with his off hand. "Or do I need to get changed?"

Evelyn glanced down at herself and then shrugged, "It's what Jidressa wore when she was last flying, so I figured it was probably the right choice?" That came out more as a question than anything, "I don't even know what we're flying, so um... Air breathers? Or space? And what class of fighter? Ya' know, I didn't even think about those things."

"Hmm." A thoughtful look crossed Buck's face and he folded his arms. "How about we start with the fighters you're dressed for and see where the mood takes us?"

Evelyn flushed a slight red, then took a few steps to the replicator and glanced over him before punching in what she hoped was the right size flight suit for him, "You're going to want this. The Venji-type fighters are really old type craft. Anything above twelve gravities and you'll feel it. On the plus side, they're a dual-spectrum fighter, capable of atmospheric combat as well as space, no warp capability. They were either based on planet, moon or a Bastaar-class carrier back in the days before we joined the Federation. Twelve anti-fighter missiles or four shipkillers or a mix of the two. Lasers, not phasers." She was trying to give him a briefing on the capabilities to give him some sort of idea.

"There's a difference between the two? I've never used lasers in anger before." Buck asked as he began to change into the flight suit. He didn't rush. Saw no reason to. When finished he gave an experimental flex of his right arm. "A little tight." he noted wryly.

"Snug is good." She patted him on the shoulder, tugging at the suit in places before nodding once, "It'll constrict at higher effective g-forces to keep your blood where it needs to be. And the best way for me to describe them is that lasers are less 'meaty', so lower powered overall." She punched in commands on two of the simulators, "It's what we had at the time, so their vintage."

"You could at least buy me dinner first." Buck joked while his suit was checked out by Evie. With the simulators set up he strapped himself in and set about familiarizing himself with the controls. "So, what's first? A little aerobatics?"

"I would definitely recommend it. Take five minutes, put her through her paces while I get settled in." Evelyn agreed, smiling bright as she looked down on him getting settled in before closing the simulator hatch.

It was helpful that the Trill were from the two arms two legs school of evolution. This made the layout in front of him familiar enough to not be entirely incomprehensible. Buck started with the fighter in atmo. This was what he was most familiar with. Banking, climbing and diving bled into looping and rolling manoeuvres. As he grew more comfortable Buck transitioned into the void. It was more difficult here, the craft being older that the Federation: more of a hybrid of those and the landing modules from his own time.

It was about three minutes later that a voice came into his head, "Buck, this is Sparky, comm check."

Buck clicked over the comm. "Solid copy Sparky. Shall we begin?"

"Let's."